TULSA, OK—Muscogee (Creek) Nation Second Chief Roger Dana Barnett, 53, of Bristow, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation earlier today in relation to Federal charges alleging embezzlement of approximately $150,000 from the Tribe, announced Danny C. Williams Sr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma.

The Indictment, unsealed today, alleged Barnett embezzled, misapplied, and converted to his personal use more than $1,000 of moneys and funds belonging to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation from April 2013 through April 2014. Barnett appeared today in Federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Frank H. McCarthy.

The FBI investigation was initiated after Muscogee (Creek) Nation officials contacted Federal authorities to report the possible misuse of tribal funds. If convicted, the maximum penalty is five years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. Parole has been abolished in the Federal system.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is the investigating agency. Assistant United States Attorneys Trent Shores and Shannon Cozzoni are prosecuting this matter on behalf of the United States.

A Grand Jury Indictment is one method of charging a defendant with alleged violations of Federal Law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendants’ presumption of innocence.